U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Kealia Pond

National Wildlife 

Refuge

Watchable Wildlife

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Introduction

Welcome to 

Kealia Pond NWR

Tips for Watching 

Wildlife

Hawaiian Coot and chick 

© Forest and Kim Starr

Hawaiian Stilt chick

Hawaiian Stilt

© Caleb Slemmons

Keālia Pond is one of the few 

remaining lowland wetlands in 

Hawai‘i and the largest on Maui. 

It provides vital nesting, feeding, 

and resting habitat for two 

endangered Hawaiian waterbirds; 

the Hawaiian Stilt and the 

Hawaiian Coot.

The refuge is a favorite destination 

for hundreds of migratory shorebirds 

and waterfowl, some of them native 

to Hawai‘i. It also provides essential 

habitat for nesting sea turtles along 

with other winged creatures like 

dragonflies, damselflies and 

butterflies.

The Hawaiian Coot (‘Alae ke‘oke‘o) 

and Hawaiian Stilt (Ae‘o) share the 

wetland habitat, but they nest at 

different times and in different areas 

of the environment. Hawaiian Coots 

build their floating nests in the high 

water season between December and 

April. Hawaiian Stilts build their 

nests in the mudflats in the dry 

season between April and July.

Key:

a abundant, very numerous

c common, likely to be seen or heard in suitable 

habitat

u uncommon, present but not certain to be seen

o occasional (accidental), seen only a few times 

during a season

r rare, seen at irregular intervals

* birds known or suspected to nest on or near the 

refuge

 endangered species

• indigenous or endemic species

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Stars of Kealia 

Pond NWR

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© Lahaina Photography

The best spots for watching the 

wildlife of Keālia Pond are from dirt 

paths along the Kanuimanu Ponds 

near the Visitor Center and from the 

Keālia Coastal Boardwalk on North 

Kīhei Road. 

Bring binoculars with you for a 

closer look at wildlife. A field guide 

to the wildlife of Hawai‘i will help you 

identify specific birds and 

other wildlife. 
Common Name Sp S F W

Hawaiian Stilts 

© Deb White

- Wildlife of Kealia Pond NWR

Common Name Sp S F W

Grebes

 Pied-billed Grebe r r r

 Eared Grebe r r r

Shearwaters

 *•Wedge-tailed Shearwater u u u

 (‘Ua‘u Kani) 

Frigatebirds

 •Great Frigatebird (‘Iwa) u u u u

Boobies

 •Brown Booby (‘A) o o o o

Herons

 Great Egret r r r

 Snowy Egret r r r

 *Cattle Egret a a a a

 *•Black-crowned Night-heron a a a a 

 (‘Auku‘u) 

 Great Blue Heron r r r

Ibises

 White-faced Ibis r r r r

Swans, Geese and Ducks

 Tundra Swan r r r

 Greater White-fronted Goose r r r

 Snow Goose r r r

 Brant r r r

 Cackling Goose o o o

 Canada Goose r r r

 •Hawaiian Goose (Nēnē) o o o

 Mallard c c c

 Green-winged Teal u u u

 *Mallard/Hawaiian Duck c c c c

 •Hawaiian Duck (Kōloa) r r r r

 Garganey r r r

 Northern Pintail (Koloa Māpu) c c c

 Blue-winged Teal r r r

 Cinnamon Teal r r r

 Northern Shoveler (Koloa Mohā) c c c

 Gadwall r r r

 Eurasian Wigeon o o o

 American Wigeon o o o

 Canvasback r r r

 Redhead r r r

 Ring-necked Duck r r r

 Tufted Duck r r r

 Greater Scaup r r r

 Lesser Scaup u u u

 Common Goldeneye r r r

 Bufflehead o o o

 Common Merganser r r r

 Red-breasted Merganser r r r

Coots

 •*Hawaiian Coot (‘Alae ke‘oke‘o) a a a a

 American Coot r r

Stilts

 •*Hawaiian Stilt (Ae‘o) a a a a

 Black-necked Stilt r r r r

 American Avocet r r
Terns

 Gull-billed Tern r r r

 Caspian Tern r r r

 Common Tern r r r

 Arctic Tern r r r

 Least Tern r r r

 Black Tern r r r

 •Brown Noddy (Noio Koha) r r 

 •Black Noddy (Noio) r r r r 

Raptors

 Osprey r r

 Peregrine Falcon r r

 Northern Harrier r r

Gallinaceous Birds

 *Black Francolin c c c c

 *Gray Francolin a a a a

 *Ring-necked Pheasant r r r r 

Doves

 Mourning Dove c c c c

 *Spotted Dove a a a a

 Rock Dove c c c c

 *Zebra Dove a a a a

Common Name Sp S F W

Shorebirds

 Black-bellied Plover o o o

 •Pacific Golden Plover (Kōlea) a r a a

 Semipalmated Plover u u u

 Killdeer r r r

 Marbled Godwit r r r

 Bar-tailed Godwit r r r

 •Bristle-thighed Curlew (Kioea) r r r

 Whimbrel r r r

 Greater Yellowlegs r r r

 Lesser Yellowlegs r r r

 Spotted Sandpiper r r r

 •Wandering Tattler (‘Ulili) c r c c

 Wilson’s Phalarope r r r

 Red Phalarope r r r

 Red-necked Phalarope r r r

 Short-billed Dowitcher r r r

 Long-billed Dowitcher u u u

 Common Snipe r r r

 •Ruddy Turnstone (‘Akekeke) a r a a

 Red Knot r r r

 Dunlin r r r

 •Sanderling (Hunakai) a r a a

 Curlew Sandpiper r r r

 Semipalmated Sandpiper r r r

 Western Sandpiper r r r

 Least Sandpiper o o o

 Baird’s Sandpiper r r r

 Red-necked Stint r r r

 Sharp-tailed Sandpiper o o o

 Pectoral Sandpiper o o o

 Ruff r r r

Gulls

 Franklin’s Gull r o o

 Laughing Gull r o o

 Common Black-headed Gull r r r

 Bonaparte’s Gull r o o

 Ring-billed Gull r o o

 California Gull r r r

 Herring Gull r r r

 Glaucous-winged Gull r r r

Common Name Sp S F W

Wandering Tattler

© Rick Long
Common Name Sp S F W

Owls

 •*Short-eared Owl (Pueo) o o o o

 Barn Owl o o o o

Mynas

 *Common Myna a a a a

White-eyes

 *Japanese White-eye a a a a

Mimic Thrushes

 *Northern Mockingbird o o o o

Cardinals and Sparrows

 *Northern Cardinal c c c c

 *Red-crested Cardinal c c c c

 *House Sparrow c c c c

 *Java Sparrow c c c c

Finches

 *House Finch c c c c

Larks

 Sky Lark o o o o

Waxbills and Mannikins

 *Orange-cheeked Waxbill c c c c

 *Nutmeg Mannikin c c c c

 *African Silverbill c c c c

 *Chestnut Munia c c c c

Sea Turtles

Other Birds to 

Look For

Watch for the native Black-crowned 

Night Heron (‘Auku‘u) in the shallow 

wetlands of the refuge. A stealth 

predator, it stalks and spears fish, 

and hunts stilt and coot chicks on 

occasion. The use of DDT pesticide in 

the 20th century had a devastating 

effect on its water and food sources, 

but since DDT was outlawed in 1972, 

its numbers have increased. 

The Pacific Golden Plover (Kōlea) 

visits the refuge in the wet season. It 

travels non-stop for many hours from 

its breeding grounds in Alaska, 

navigating by the stars to return to 

the same territory each year. In 

spring, usually at the same date each 

year, this normally solitary bird joins 

other plovers to make the return trip 

to Alaska. 

The endangered Hawksbill Sea 

Turtle (Honu‘ea) feeds on sponges 

in the offshore reefs, and nests 

from June to September in the 

coastal dune habitat of the refuge. 

The threatened Hawaiian Green 

Sea Turtle (Honu) nests mostly in 

French Frigate Shoals, and may 

be seen basking and resting on 

the beaches of the coastal dune 

refuge habitat.

Black-crowned Night Heron

© Andy Morffew

Hawksbill 

Sea Turtle

USFWS

Pacific Golden 

Plover in breeding 

plumage

Pacific Golden 

Plover in nonbreeding plumage

© Lahaina Photography © Lewis Scharpf
If you’d like a wildlife-watching 

challenge, search for the flying 

insects of Keālia Pond!

These beautiful insects are a colorful

part of the complex ecosystem of the

refuge. As nymphs they live in the 

water, where they eat other insects 

and are themselves food for 

waterbirds. Eventually they crawl 

out of the water, molt, and become 

winged creatures.

•	 Dragonflies hunt and eat on the

fly. They are the world’s fastest 

insect at speeds of 19-38 mph.

•	 Damselflies land on vegetation

and use their spiny front legs to 

capture insects.

•	 To tell the difference between a

dragonfly and a damselfly, look 

at their wings. Damselfly wings 

are vertical; dragonfly wings 

are horizontal, like the wings of 

an airplane.

Keep your binoculars ready so you 

can see up close the beautiful details 

of the endangered endemic 

Blackburn’s Sphinx Moth. It is 

Hawai‘i’s largest native insect, with 

a wing span of up to 5 inches! Watch 

for the many unique butterfly 

species that fly through the refuge.

Dragon and 

Damselflies

Butterflies 

and Moths

Insects of Kealia Pond NWR -

 Green Darner Dragonfly 

 Darner Dragonfly 

 Globe Skimmer Dragonfly 

 Roseate Skimmer Dragonfly 

 Skimmer Dragonfly 

 Vermilion Saddlebags Dragonfly

 Black Saddlebags Dragonfly

 •Giant Hawaiian Dragonfly, the largest dragonfly in the US

 Fragile Forktail Damselfly 

 Rambur’s Forktail Damselfly 

 Common Bluet Damselfly

 •Hawaiian Blue Butterfly 

 •Kamehameha Butterfly 

 Western Pygmy Blue Butterfly 

 Peablue Butterfly 

 Monarch Butterfly 

 Painted Lady

 Fiery Skipper Butterfly

 Asian Swallowtail Butterfly 

 Passion Butterfly 

 Red Admiral Butterfly

 Banana Skipper 

 Cabbage White

Roseate Skimmer 

Dragonfly

© Lahaina Photography

Blackburn’s 

Sphinx Moth

© Forest and Kim Starr

Rambur's Forktail 

Damselfly

© Lewis Scharpf

Western Pygmy Blue Butterfly

© Lewis Scharpf
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Hawaiian Coot

© Lahaina Photography

The refuge is open M-F from 7:30 a.m. 

to 4:00 p.m. It is closed on weekends 

and federal holidays.

The Visitor Center is open M-F from 

8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. It is closed on 

weekends and federal holidays.

The boardwalk is open seven days a 

week and on federal holidays from 

6:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Admission is free. 

For more information, contact:

Refuge Manager

Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge

Maui National Wildlife Refuge Complex

Milepost 6 Mokulele Highway (Highway 311)

P.O. Box 1042

Kīhei, Hawai‘i 96753

808 875 1582

http://www.fws.gov/refuge/kealia_pond/

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

http://www.fws.gov

For the hearing impaired:

Hawai‘i Relay Service

TTY 1 877 447 5990

Voice 1 808 643 8255

In-state callers use the 4 digit TTY 1-711

Federal Relay Service

TTY and Voice 1 800 877 8339

July 2015

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